Fundamental propulsion upgrade for Silja Europa
Silja Europa will get an upgrade to the propulsion control system and be equipped with EcoPIlot which will give a 6% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions
Estonian ferry company, Tallink Grupp, has signed up Sweden’s Qtagg, a marine green tech company, to undertake a comprehensive propulsion upgrade of the cruise ferry, Silja Europa.
The project will ensure substantial fuel savings of about 6% and emission reductions of 2,096 tonnes annually, the company said. It will include the installation of engine speed governors, fuel rack actuators, a pitch control system, and EcoPilot voyage optimisation software.
The 59,912gt vessel has traditionally been deployed on the Baltic route between Tallinn and Helsinki. However, since last September, the 1993-built ship has been chartered to the Netherlands as accommodation for migrants and refugees. A decision by the company to return the ship to normal service resulted in the move to upgrade its systems.
Four Dego IV governors will be installed in the engine control room, connected to an application server that provides visuals of fuel consumption and logs performance. The actuators will be positioned in the engine room itself, while the pitch control units will be placed in the existing pitch control cabinet to replace the existing analogue system. The EcoPilot will have interfaces both on the bridge and in the engine control room.
The likely 6% fuel savings are based on the results from an EcoPilot installation on board Tallink’s 1989-built cruise ferry, Isabelle. Improved fuel consumption is partly a result of extensive data processing, including real-time weather reports, sea state and ship details. The expected carbon dioxide reduction of 2,096 tonnes will result in a lower Emissions Trading System cost for the ferry in future, as well as a higher carbon intensity indicator rating.
